The first super full moon of the year is expected to take place on Tuesday night, according to the Taipei Astronomical Museum.

The moon, which will rise at 6:44 p.m., will become 12 percent bigger and 12 percent brighter than a regular full moon when it reaches its fullest at 7:52 p.m., the museum said.

Twelve hours after that, the moon will also reach a perigee — the point of its elliptical orbit that is closest to Earth — when it will be only 357,656 kilometers away from the planet, about 7 percent closer than usual, it said.

While the celestial event has no precise astronomical definition, a super full moon is generally understood to be when the moon becomes full on the same day as its perigee, or when a full moon occurs within 360,000 km from Earth, the museum explained.

The super moon will also be the second fullest full moon this year, after one that is expected to take place on July 14, it said.

Weather conditions on Tuesday evening are forecast to be better in central and southern Taiwan, where cloudy to clear skies are likely, according to the Central Weather Bureau.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel